Trigger devices for the multi-part breech mechanisms of automatic firearms



y 7, 1966 MENN 1N6 3,251,268

TRIGGER DEVI FOR TH ULTI-PART BREECH MECHANISMS OF AUTOMATIC FIREARMS Filed May 26, 1964 as, \l \w Jnven/or:

United States Patent 3,251,268 TRIGGER DEVICES FOR THE MULTI-PART BREECH MECHANISMS OF AUTOMATIC FIREARMS Hartmut Menneking, Dusseldorf, Germany, assiguor to Firma Rheinmetall G.m.b.H., Dusseldorf, Germany Filed May 26, 1964, Ser. No. 370,264 Claims priority, application Germany, June 1, 1963,

4 Claims. (Cl. 89-131) The invention relates to a trigger device for the multipart breech mechanism of an automatic firearm, the device having a striker which is alternately cocked and released by the breech mechanism as the latter moves forward and backward. In such weapons, operating faults occasionally occur during continuous firing due to the fact that, after the breech mechanism has moved forward, the recoil energy of the rear part of the breech mechanism is not always sufiiciently absorbed by the arresting device, for example an arresting lever. Moreover, in these firearms, manual locking is frequently possible only with great difficulty, since by reason of the speed of movement of the breech -mechanism, which is generally inadequate in this case, theovercoming of the arresting mechanism is not always ensured, while on closure undesirably loud noises frequently occur.

An object of the invention is to eliminate the drawbacks indicated above by means which are as simple as possible.

In a trigger device according to the present invention there is provided a control lever operatively connected both to the striker or hammer and to the breech mechanism, the said control lever intercepting the released striker by locking and control means and releasing it for firing movement only when the breech mechanism is in its final, forward, closing position.

The operative connection between the control lever By means of the invention it is first ensured that a cartridge can be fired only when the, breech mechanism is actually in its forward closed position, and second, easy and safe closing is rendered possible, whereby disturbing closing noises are moreover avoided. Furthermore, the advantage is obtained that a special arresting device, for instance an arresting lever, such as is generally provided in known breech mechanisms, can be dispensed with.

Moreover, the invention can also be employed with advantage in already existing weapons of the said kind, since the parts designed in accordance with the invention can take the place of corresponding existing parts. To this end, the control lever is preferably mounted on a pivot which, in turn, is arranged on a plate mounted on the pivot pins of the striker and of the trigger. In this way it ispossible to replace a defective device in its entirety and subsequent attention to the trigger box or on parts of the breech mechanism which can only be carried out with difficulty is avoided.

An embodiment of the invention wil now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a side elevation partly in section.

In the drawing, reference 1 designates a trigger box ,or casing in which all the parts of the trigger and safety arrangement are housed in the usual manner. The trigger device consists essentially of the trigger 2, a striker or hammer 3, a pressure fork 4 which compression spring 5, a control lever 6 and a release lever 7. Reference character 8 designates the rear part of a two-part breech mechanism; The drawing shows the trigger device in the continuous fire position. The part 8 of the breech mechanism is in its forward closing position. During its forward movement, the part 8 has actuated the release lever 7 and released the hammer. The striker can now move forward, actuated by the pressure fork 4, under the force of the compression spring '5 and fire the cartridge.

The control lever 6, which is pivotally mounted in the rear zone of the trigger box on a pivot pin 9, serves to control the movements just described. The hammer 3 and the control lever 6 are operatively connected by way of a control cam or pin 10 arranged on the hammer and a control slot 1 1 provided in the control lever and in which the cam 10 slides. The control lever has, at its free front end, a projection 12 having a locking edge or surface 13 and an inclined surface 14.

The control lever 6 operates in the following manner. When the part 8 of the breech mechanism moves forward, its surface 19 slides over and beyond the locking edge '13 of the control lever 6 and during this movement it holds the control lever in its lower position, as is shown in the drawing. The hammer, released by the breech mechnism by means of the release lever 7, has moved from a position in which cam 10 is locatedat a to a position in which the cam is at b during this time. In the forward, closing, position illustrated the part 8 of the breech mechanism now releases the control lever 6, so that the latter can be lifted by the control cam 10 of the striker moving along the control slot 11, this being necessary to allow the striker to perform its movement. With a suitable fiat form of the inclined surfaces 14 and 15, the lifting of the control lever by the control cam 10, during the recoil of the part 8 of the breech mechanism, is interrupted by the inclined surface 15 of the recoiling part of the breech mechanism striking against the inclined surface 14 of the control lever 6, and the surface 19 moves to a greater or lesser extent beyond the locking edge 13 of the control lever 6. The forward movement of the hammer is thereby arrested and only when the part 8 of the breech mechanism has come to rest in its forward end position by means of a return spring (not shown) does it finally release the control lever 6, so that the hammer can fire the cartridge. In this way, it is ensured that firing can take place only when the breech mechanism is actually to its forward closing position. Thus, misfiring, which sometimes occurs in known trigger and breech mechanism systems of this kind by the hammer encountering the recoiling part of the breech mechanism, is avoided.

By suitable choice of the distribution of the masses of the parts of the breech mechanism, the extent of the recoil can be controlled, so that it is possible to control the rate of fire of the weapon as a result of the different time effects, that is the time before the rear part of the breech mechanism is finally stopped. In this way, a very simple method is provided of obtaining a reduction of the rate of fire which may possibly be desired. Thus, not only is trouble-free operation of the trigger and breech-mechanism arrangement obtained by means of the construction according to the invention, but it is also possible to achieve a reduction of the rate of fire in that the recoil is not nullified but is used to delay forward movement of the hammer.

However, should a reduction in the rate of fire not be desired, this can be achieved by a suitably steep (that is self-locking) configuration of the inclined surfaces '14 and 15. In this case, the inclined surface 14 of the control lever passes behind the inclined surface 15 immediately on release by the rear part of the breech mechanism and prevents any rebound, with the hammer, however, being immediately released. The re-cocking of the hammer after firing is effected by the breech mechanism as it moves back. Since, during this movement of the hammer, the control lever is briefly lifted by the control cam 10, a recess 20 which can be engaged by the locking edge 13 of the control lever, is provided in the part 8 of the breech mechanism.

The invention can also be employed in simple manner in already existing weapons without replacing the trigger box or diflicult dismantling by mounting the pivot 9 on a plate 16 which in turn is mounted on the pins 17 and 18 of the hammer and the trigger.

The invention is not limited to the example of embodiment illustrated and described. Thus, the control lever 6 may also be designed so that it also has the function of a release lever. In this case, the release lever 7 can be dispensed with.

What I claim is:

1. A trigger device for multi-part breech mechanism of automatic firearms comprising a hammer pivotally mounted and which is alternately cocked and released by the breech mechanism moving forward and backward, a control lever having locking and control surfaces and having a slot therein, and a control cam mounted on the hammer and projecting in the slot, said control lever intercepting the release hammer by means of the locking and control surfaces to release the hammer for firing 4 purposes only when the breech mechanism is in its final forward closed position.

2. A trigger device according to claim 1 in which a recess is provided in the breech mechanism to cooperate with the locking means of the control lever for the purpose of cocking the hammer.

3. A trigger device according to claim 1 in which the control surface of the control lever is in the form of an inclined surface provided at the free end thereof having an angle so that, while avoiding any recoil, immediate locking of the breech mechanism occurs when the latter reaches its forward closing position.

4. A trigger device according to claim 1 in which the control lever is mounted on a pivot which is arranged on a plate mounted on the pivot pins of the hammer and of the trigger.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,125,937 1/1915 Benet et a1 89149 1,190,653 7/1916 Hughes 89-449 3,015,993 1/1962 Franchi 89--131 FOREIGN PATENTS 869,053 5/1961 Great Britain.

BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.

FRED C. MATTERN, JR., Examiner. 

1. A TRIGGER DEVICE FOR MULTI-PART BREECH MECHANISM OF AUTOMATIC FIREARMS COMPRISING A HAMMER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED AND WHICH IS ALTERNATELY COCKED AND RELEASED BY THE BREECH MECHANISM MOVING FORWARD AND BACKWARD, A CONTROL LEVER HAVING LOCKING AND CONTROL SURFACES AND HAVING A SLOT THEREIN, AND A CONTROL CAM MOUNTED ON THE HAMMER AND PROJECTING IN THE SLOT, SAID CONTROL LEVER INTERCEPTING THE RELEASE HAMMER BY MEANS OF THE LOCKING AND CONTROL SURFACES TO RELEASE THE HAMMER FOR FIRING PURPOSES ONLY WHEN THE BREECH MECHANISM IS IN ITS FINAL FOWARD CLOSED POSITION. 